Merger between two North Dakota government agencies finalized

Courtesy: ND Department of Health and ND Department of Human Services
Courtesy: ND Department of Health and ND Department of Human Services

(Bismarck, ND) -- Two North Dakotan Government agencies are officially joining forces and merging together under one banner.

The newly named North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services is the combination of both the Department of Health and the Department of Human Services. Executive Director of the ND Department of Heath and Human Services Chris Jones says the merger may be complete, but the work isn't done.

"The work will continue to go on for year, "said Jones, "There is so many opportunities to integrate programs to better serve the citizens of North Dakota. It's just removed a couple of barriers that existed in the past."

Jones says the new department will have some new focuses and challenges to tackle, but will otherwise operate as normal. He describes addressing how inflation affects their ability to spend money in their departments, focusing on childcare assistance, and prioritizing behavioral health across the state need cooperation to tackle effectively. Problems which Jones says are all inhibited by one key factor. 

"I wish I had a silver bullet for all of these issues, especially for all these industries, but it's going to be a tough few years from a workforce perspective, "said Jones, "We'll definitely work collaboratively with our legislators during the next session to try to address some of these issues."

You can look at the new website built for the Department of Health and Human Services by clicking here

Original Air Date: 
Friday, September 2, 2022